Frugal Living 2011 - the preparation stage

NualaBuala

Am chuckling at your dog! He sounds very cute and loveable! And I'm sure the new guy ain't bad either if he he got the canine seal of approval!

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi Cheryl, haven't been all the way through the thread (yet) - but just wanted to say "thanks" for the fantastic spreadsheet.

I'd been trying to come up with somethings but this is great.

NualaBuala

lilylass wrote: »

Hi Cheryl, haven't been all the way through the thread (yet) - but just wanted to say "thanks" for the fantastic spreadsheet.

I'd been trying to come up with somethings but this is great.

Hi Lilylass - if you fancy joining in, come on over to the current thread here
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/40006184#Comment_40006184

mariemcg

Hi

I haven't managed to read the whole thread and lunchime is almost over. I find the forum quite overwhelming - full of great ideas but I'm never sure where to start. So what do I do? Work out how much I spend per month and save the rest? Sorry if I am being thick. It's one of those days.....

the_cat

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2898936

Hi
You have come to the right place...... nearly!

WE have now started the challenge for this year, so I've put the link at the top of this post so you can find us. Have a read of the first page or so to get the idea, then start posting and join in the fun

londonirish_3

my wrd iv got page pon page of catchng up to do!
have had an awful time from christmas day onwards, my kitchen flooded, lost m laptop and lots of other bits so havent been able to get online, thankfully iv jst borrowed a laptop and am using a dongle, bt its working out at £1per hour eeekkkkk!!! should be back to normal feb, i was insured thankfully.

on the frugal side its been baaaaad. i have had an unexpected bill for £240 from npower from my old property which i thought was clear as they told me it was.... apparently not now, 3 seperate bank charges as my wages didnt clear in time , first time in 7 years this has happened so all in all i need about 800 with everthning else thats happened. ill be eating beans til june lol.

prob wont get back into the swing of things til i get my laptop back and can get online properly, this dongle is WAY too dear

Marru

N-p0wer is bad with the final bills (I was dealing with one case at work long time ago). Do dig out your what you thought was the last bill from them and check the dates, if they say that it was read and not estimated and also if it says final bill. You might have a good case of getting it refunded. (I had to make several phone calls, waiting time min 20 min just to get it refunded to the wrong company name). Can you tell that I will never take my custom to them doesn't matter what they quote.

debtfreewannabe321

Oh am I too late to join in on this, i think this would help me greatly! I have done budgets in the past and have never stuck them out but we are finally doing something about our debt once and for all this year so would love to be able to stick to a realistic budget, How do you all work them out, I'm sorry i haven't read all the way through the threads as there are so many and i haven't time, do you just go on last years DD for things like Gas/ELec etc?

Marru

debtfreewannabe321 wrote: »

Oh am I too late to join in on this, i think this would help me greatly! I have done budgets in the past and have never stuck them out but we are finally doing something about our debt once and for all this year so would love to be able to stick to a realistic budget, How do you all work them out, I'm sorry i haven't read all the way through the threads as there are so many and i haven't time, do you just go on last years DD for things like Gas/ELec etc?

the_cat wrote: »

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2898936

Hi
You have come to the right place...... nearly!

WE have now started the challenge for this year, so I've put the link at the top of this post so you can find us. Have a read of the first page or so to get the idea, then start posting and join in the fun

Come on the other side to play. Never too late. Have a look at the first post for more information.

wrenlegs

I guess my interest in cutting my bills is a bit late. I 'discovered' that my phone bill has been through the roof the last few months (pay direct debit on a ccard and never checked the bills - flame me now :o) and its kicked started a bill revolution in this house. I swapped car insurance today (half way through one policy and paying a fine) as it worked out miles cheaper. I also swapped electricity supplier to save £170 odd quid. Gas apparently we have the best deal so am sticking. Our biggest expense is food - family of 3 is £70 for 7 days. My best discovery thus far is that a large Cravendale milk lasts the week (I used to buy cheaper milk but it turned bad quickly so I bit the bullet and invested which is definately paying off). Im trying to have some spend free days (not managed it yet) but am definately trying to cut spending. We arent big spenders but after redundancy I feel its time to try to save instead of live to our means. Will be looking for some hot tips and some motivation from this thread. I know I need to do a spreadsheet so may try this after the weekend when I get 2 mins.